At least 20 dead, 134 hurt in blast at Russian ammunition plant—reports

An explosion at the Elastik ammunition plant near Ryazan on Friday killed at least 20 people and injured 134, Russian media reported, with authorities yet to clarify the cause.

The fire broke out on Friday at the Elastik plant in the Shilovsky District, around 250 kilometers southeast of Moscow.

Photo: X

Earlier figures put the toll at five dead and about 20 injured.

The blast before noon sparked a fire and destroyed the plant’s powder building, the reports said.

❗️💣🇷🇺 - An explosion at the gunpowder workshop of the Elastik factory in Ryazan Oblast, Russia, killed five people and injured 20, with 10 in critical condition.

The blast, followed by a fire, completely destroyed the workshop. Emergency services reported that over 100 people… pic.twitter.com/zwQPvJ1LaU

— 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) August 15, 2025

Since 2021, Elastik has produced rocket-artillery munitions, various airborne weapons and gas generators for submarines.

A previous explosion at the site in October 2021 killed 17. The Investigative Committee then opened a criminal case over safety violations at high-risk industrial facilities.

Founder Alexandr Yegorshyn received a four-year suspended sentence, while CEO Sergei Nistratkin was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison.

(jh)

Source: PAP